The Portuguese Institute for the Ocean and Atmosphere (IPMA, I.P.) is a public research institute and act as a counselor to the national authorities on the sea and atmosphere. IPMA, I.P., possesses a strong cluster of competences for the ocean and marine resources related to research, carried out by different groups, particularly dedicated to aquaculture and fisheries.
The Aquaculture Research Station of Olhão (EPPO, figure 1) stands out for the unique experimental conditions on aquaculture at the national and international levels. This marine core facility is equipped to carry out production studies at every scale from bench-top laboratory work to a much larger semi-industrial level. EPPO has an area of about 7ha with more than 250 tanks, including an hatchery fully equipped for research and experimental production with different rearing circuits (for broodstock, larvae, juvenile production, research with live animals and recirculation systems), a support building (with rooms for trophic chain production, daily routines and biological sampling), several analytical laboratories (biochemical, histological, molecular, microbiological and fish pathology), an unit for seafood packing, an area for pre-fattening (for earthen ponds and sea cages production) and 17 earthen ponds. It holds breeders of several marine fish species (e.g. meagre, gilthead seabream, seabass, Senegalese sole and sardine among others), microalgae and invertebrates as well as the know-how on the production of these species.
Production of new species, nutrition, welfare, environmentally friendly production systems and assessment of onshore and offshore and production systems for fish grow-out are some of research lines developed at EPPO (figure 2).
Acknowledgments: The research lines are partially funded by AQUARAS (Mar-02.05.01-FEAMP-0223), NOSTRESS_047122 and ALLARVAE_069971 (ALG-01-0247) projects.